I see your point,,but if you had the proper infeed and outfeed support it should work,,or am I off the rocker here? One side of the top is all that has to be "perfectly" flat with the sides, right?
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Wood does bow, and any large slab of solid wood will move. You can flatten a top, attach it to the base, add the vises, wait a year and find it not flat. I probably need to flatten mine again as I took the vises off to move, took it from steamy FL to North Carolina.
If the problem is only a rippled surface then running it through the sander will be fine. But, at least for me, I want the bench top flat, as I frequently use it as a reference when flattening other things, like panels. If I want to check something I set it on the bench and see if it rocks or if daylight can be seen.
So taking a long straightedge from end to end, corner to corner, side to side, you may find it slightly bowed, or one corner a little proud. And for that just running through a sander may not make it flat...... Some say you should flatten the top on the bench, with the vises in place, with the top connected to the frame, as it can sag, move, etc once its connected, dog holed drilled, vises hung, etc., esp with a thinner top.
If you make your own top, it helps to orientate all the wood the same way, have the grain all run in the same direction, that way you can handplane it flat more easily. I got a premade top 2 1/4thick and the grain runs differently, so its more difficult to handplane.
If the problem is only a rippled surface then running it through the sander will be fine. But, at least for me, I want the bench top flat, as I frequently use it as a reference when flattening other things, like panels. If I want to check something I set it on the bench and see if it rocks or if daylight can be seen.
So taking a long straightedge from end to end, corner to corner, side to side, you may find it slightly bowed, or one corner a little proud. And for that just running through a sander may not make it flat...... Some say you should flatten the top on the bench, with the vises in place, with the top connected to the frame, as it can sag, move, etc once its connected, dog holed drilled, vises hung, etc., esp with a thinner top.
If you make your own top, it helps to orientate all the wood the same way, have the grain all run in the same direction, that way you can handplane it flat more easily. I got a premade top 2 1/4thick and the grain runs differently, so its more difficult to handplane.
Robin you bring up some very good points. I think it does make sense to go back and flatten after everything is complete, since the skirt, base and mounting vises can make things move. This top was custom made for my Uncle by a local fabricator many many years ago and when you run your hand across the top you can feel the slight differences in height between the laminated pieces. I guess I need to ponder this decision on flatting the top longer. I will have plenty of time while I build the base. Thanks for all your advice.
Marty
Marty
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